Frequently Asked Questions

Vendors

Q: I added a vendor this morning, but it hasn’t been approved yet. Why?

A: The SAO vendor staff has 24 hours to approve new vendors or make changes to a current vendor record. If your vendor has not been approved or changes made after 24 hours, please call the help desk @ 404-657-3956 or 888-896-7771.

Q: I need to have EFT information added to a vendor record. How do I get this information added?

A: Send an email to [email protected] requesting that EFT information be added to a vendor record. Be sure to include all banking information (Bank routing ID and Vendor Bank Account number). You may also fax the information to 404-463-5089.

Q: I need to have a vendor name changed. How do I get the name changed on the vendor file?

A: Have the vendor fill out a new W-9 form (taxpayer ID form) and submit it as an attachment in an email to the [email protected] address. You may also fax a copy of the form to 404-463-5089 (Attn: Vendor Maintenance).

Q: Must every vendor have a Taxpayer ID number?

A: Yes. All vendors must have a taxpayer ID of some type. It may be an FEI number or a Social Security number. It may also be “FOREIGN” if the vendor is not a USA vendor.

Q: May I add an employee as a vendor and make a payment to them in the same day?

A: No. When an employee is added as a vendor, the vendor record must go through overnight processing to be added to a table, from which the AP process will pull the employee ID record to ensure that the vendor is truly an employee. Payment may be made to the employee after this overnight process.

Purchase Orders

Q: My system seems to be slow in its processing. Is there anything that I can do to speed up the system?

A: Your Cache Files may need to be cleared.

Q: I’m having problems getting a Purchase Order or Receiving Report to print. What can I do?

A: After dispatching a PO, the PO can be viewed and printed from the Report Manager. Navigation: Reporting Tools > Report Manager – Click on the Administration tab, then click on the PO Dispatch Print link. If a new window does not open, it may be because you have pop-up blocker turned on. Either turn this off or hold the “CONTROL” key down when you click on the link. This will over-ride pop-up blocker. If the PO still does not display, verify that you have Adobe Acrobat installed on your machine.

Q: My Purchase Order has a remaining encumbrance balance that should be cancelled and sent back to budget. How do I send money back to budget?

A: There are several ways to send the remaining funds back to budget. They are:

• If the PO line has been paid by Accounts Payable, click the Final Reference box on the PO voucher distribution line. Final Reference on a PO Voucher does not close PO lines unless all lines are final referenced or fully paid. If users want their money back in budget remaining funds immediately, they should reduce the PO lines to match payments that have been made or cancel the Purchase Order thru PO Workbench.
• The PO may also be cancelled through PO Workbench. It does not matter if the PO has been paid or not. Never cancel an individual PO line, schedule or distribution that has had payments made against it. Note: Never cancel all lines on a Purchase Order. By canceling all lines, you will leave a Header record that must be removed by GTA – FSS.
• Use Query 0PO003B “Encumbrance Balance by PO ID” to see remaining encumbrance.

Q: I have a Purchase order with an “Initial” status. How do I delete this PO from my active list?

A: The best solution for this type of purchase order is to use the PO ID for your next purchase. A different vendor may be selected.

• If you don’t want to use the PO ID as your next purchase, you must change the PO status to “open.” In order to place the PO in an “open” status, you must enter at least one complete PO line and save the record. Once the PO is in an “open” status, the PO can be retrieved and canceled in PO Workbench.

Q: I want to cancel lines on a Purchase Order, but the system will not allow the entry. Why?

A: If you are trying to cancel PO lines from a Purchase Order and the system won’t allow the entry, Accounts Payable has probably associated a voucher with the PO line and the line should not be canceled. The amount can be reduced to equal the amount already paid or the entire PO can be canceled from PO Workbench to completely close the order and reverse all outstanding encumbrances. The 0PO003 and 0PO003B queries can be used to determine if vouchers have been processed against the PO line.

Q: An invoice has arrived from a vendor, but the price is different than the Purchase Order. The new price does falls within the PO tolerances set up in the system. What do I need to do to pay this invoice?

A: If the invoice comes in and is within the system PO tolerance, don’t increase the Purchase order to include the extra dollars after the voucher passes Budget Checking. By increasing the Purchase Order, the System has cleared out the original encumbrance and you are left with an outstanding encumbrance, which must be cleared by FSS personnel. If the invoice is greater than the PO and within tolerance, the voucher can be processed normally, and no action is needed on the Purchase Order. If the invoice is less than the PO amount and no other charges will be billed, then the “final reference” flag on the voucher line should be checked to indicate to the system that the remaining encumbrance balance will not be needed.

• If not within tolerance or if the agency wishes to keep the PO and vouchered amounts totally in sync, a Change Order may be done to the purchase order line before a voucher has been processed by Accounts Payable. Once the changes have been made to the PO and it is re-edited, approved, budget checked, and dispatched; accounts payable can then copy the PO Voucher from the PO for the correct amounts.
• In most cases, an error message will be given if the user tries to reduce a PO line below what has been vouchered. Use Query OPO003 or OPO005 to see vouchers.

Q: I want to cancel a Purchase Order that contains a budget error. How do I cancel/delete this type of Purchase Order?

A: Never cancel a purchase order which contains Budget Errors. You must make the purchase order BCM status = Valid. (The Account number may be changed to a non-controlled account (i.e.: 100001) which will pass budget and produce a Valid BCM Status.) The user may then cancel the Purchase order using PO Workbench -- be sure to add comments to the Purchase order before canceling it.

Q: My PO will not dispatch. Why?

A: The PO must be successfully budget checked and Approved before it can be dispatched. Also assure that the “Hold from further processing” box is not checked.

Q: My PO line is not available for Receiving. Why?

A: Receipts must be processed before the PO line is vouchered. If the PO line has already been fully paid by Accounts Payable, it cannot then be received. However, a Receipt Form (Receiving Copy of PO) can still be printed using the PO number. Since there is no receipt, a Receipt Delivery Form cannot be printed.

Q: My Purchase Order is fully paid but will not go into “Complete” status. Why?

A: In order for a Purchase Order to have a “Completed” status, all lines must be paid in full. Also, the Purchase Order “Due Date” (located on the schedule panel) must have passed.

Q: I want to change the price for a purchase order line. How do I change the price of an item?

A: Access the Purchase Order, Lines Panel, go to the Schedule panel and click the line to be changed, press the Price Adjustment icon located next to the price field and change the amount.

This will allow the price field to be changed which will in turn change the distribution rows for that line.

Q: I have an invoice for a Prior Year Purchase order and the invoice is greater than the amount on the PO. How do I add funds to a prior year purchase order to cover the increased cost of the goods?

A: Any additional amounts greater than the PO amounts on a Prior Year PO must be taken from current year funds. You should add a new line to the Purchase Order using current year chartfields. You don’t want to mix distribution lines containing different budget years on the same PO Line schedule.

Q: Must every line of a Purchase Order have an NIGP code?

A: Yes. All lines of a purchase order must have a valid NIGP code.

• New edits have been added to the PO Module which will force the use of 5-digit NIGP codes other than '99999' on any PO line with an extended price of $500 or greater. This change is at the request of the DOAS State Purchasing office and is in support of their Official Memorandum #04-02 dated July 11th, 2003. Select a 5-digit NIGP code other than '99999' for the "Category" field on the "Purchase Order Line Details" panel when entering any Purchase Order line whose total value is $500 or greater. The '99999' code is still valid for PO lines less than $500.
• At the request of the State Purchasing office, new edits have been added to the PO Module which will force the use of 5-digit NIGP codes (TeamWorks Category field) rather than 3-digit codes. In other words, NIGP codes ending in '00' cannot be selected. There are two exceptions for this rule: 26900 - Drugs and Pharmaceuticals and 96300 - Non-Biddable Miscellaneous items.
• Any questions concerning the proper selection of commodity codes should be addressed to DOAS State Purchasing.

Q: Can I award a Request for Quotation to multiple vendors?

A: Yes, the RFQ may be awarded to as many vendors as needed.